we receive e we publish the following press release from the group Italian Fs:
Rome, 2 December 2024 – Also this year on the occasion of the international day of people with disabilities il FS Group demonstrates its commitment to increasingly accessible and inclusive transport. An opportunity to reflect on the importance of spreading awareness, because diversity is not just a value, but a strategic resource for imagining and building new business models. The FS Group is in fact constantly committed to increasingly incentivizing an accessible, sustainable and inclusive mobility model, dedicating itself with determination to improving the accessibility of stations and enhancing assistance services for people with disabilities or reduced mobility. A concrete commitment that aims to transform inclusiveness into a tangible reality for all travellers.
Minister Locatelli visits FS headquarters
Today, December 2, the Minister for Disabilities Alessandra Locatelli visited the RFI national operations room and Blue Room at FS headquarters in Rome. The minister was accompanied by the CEO of the FS Group Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, the CEO of RFI Gianpiero Strisciuglio and the chief corporate affairs, communications & sustainability officer by FS Giuseppe Inchingolo.
Blue Rooms and Stations
RFI is working to transform train stations into increasingly accessible and inclusive spaces, ensuring all travellers the ability to move freely and access services. The 16 Blue Salt they are the nerve centres of a reception and organisation system of a network that counts 367 stations (+ 9% compared to 2023). A constantly expanding circuit: it is expected to reach 468 thousand services in one year, with an increase of 14% compared to 2023. Furthermore, the supply of approximately 600 new forklifts is underway, of which 225 have already been delivered and another 200 are expected by the end of 2024. RFI is also engaged in a tight program of interventions to remove architectural barriers, with a investment of over 5 billion euros to redevelop the main 600 stations in the country. The interventions will concern the station buildings and the improvement of accessibility: by 2025 there will be 365 fully accessible stations.
Associations for the protection of people with disabilities
FS Italiane has been implementing a structured process for several years now which includes the organisation of technical tables and periodic meetings with the main trade associations and the various companies of the Group. This approach ensures that people with disabilities are listened to and actively involved in defining solutions and initiatives aimed at promoting increasingly sustainable and inclusive mobility. The meeting between FS, its operating companies and the two national federations FAND and FISH, together with the associations FIABA and ANPVI, took place on 29 November. Furthermore, on 3 December an internal initiative dedicated to employees was organised, in collaboration with AIPD (Italian Association of People with Down Syndrome), to get to know, understand and communicate correctly with people who are experiencing this. The meeting, focused on people with Down syndrome, aims to create greater awareness and correctly inform all the people of the FS Group on the topic.
An increasingly accessible mobility
Travelling is everyone's right, and Trenitalia demonstrates this every day by expanding and improving its services. Almost the entire Trenitalia fleet is designed to guarantee access to Persons with Reduced Mobility. 100% of the Frecce and Intercity day trains are fully accessible and by 2025, regional transport will also reach full accessibility, thanks to the introduction of new trains and the progressive abandonment of older convoys. The fleet of Busitalia ensures accessibility for people with disabilities: extra-urban buses have a lift that facilitates boarding and disembarking for passengers in wheelchairs, while new urban buses are equipped with a manual ramp and have a regular seat equipped for people with reduced mobility.
The video-interpreting service in LIS
Trenitalia is the first operator in Italy to offer a service Video interpreting in Italian Sign Language (LIS). Signing deaf customers can activate the service using dedicated tablets made available to Trenitalia sales and assistance staff or directly from their smartphone by scanning a QR code. The service is available at ticket offices, AV and regional sales and assistance desks and at FRECCIALounges every day, from Monday to Sunday, from 8:00 to 18:00 (including holidays) in the stations of Milano Centrale, Bologna Centrale, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Roma Termini, Napoli Centrale and Genova Piazza Principe. To support signing deaf customers, an innovative information notice has also been created for the protection of personal data for the purchase of tickets, made accessible thanks to video interpretation in LIS.
Numbers and initiatives that demonstrate the constant commitment to removing barriers and ensuring an accessible and comfortable travel experience for those who choose to travel by train. A commitment aimed at supporting inclusion and the full right to mobility for all.
